Saturday, August 29, 2009

The dog Trina, celebrating her new fence (Photo courtesy The Coalition to Unchain Dogs)

Music for Fences—a four-band benefit in Durham Central Park, beginning at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon and running until Superchunk has, hopefully, ripped through "Precision Auto" and "Nu Bruises"—deserves your consideration on this beautiful Saturday for a handful of reasons.

First, the cause: In the past several years, The Coalition to Unchain Dogs—led by community activist and organizer Amanda Arrington—has built fences for more than 100 Triangle dogs, supplying boundaries for animals once chained to poles or trees the space to play and to become, as Indy reporter Vernal Coleman wrote last year when Arrington won one of the newspaper's annual Citizen Awards, "a less sullen, more loving pet." The stories of many of these dogs can be seen on the Coalition's Web site here, while you can see a list of the dogs still waiting to be removed from chains here (or simply by driving throughout the Triangle). The coalition also works to educate the community on the issue of tethering and to advocate for laws banning such tethers (a movement that has been successful to an extent.)

Second, the bands: You might remember openers Rey Norteño from "Raleigh," its infectious Spanish ditty of Oak City pride, and you might recall the songs The Kinksmen play from your record collection: Local vets Jeff Hart, Mike Nicholson, James Hepler and Matt Brown take on the catalog of the beloved Kinks and—by all reports—sound good doing it. Regina Hexaphone's dreamy Southern pop shuffle should sit nicely just as the sun starts to set and just before Superchunk lights up the night with its fifth show of the year. With shows on both coasts this year, a new seven-inch and a new EP, Superchunk's inching closer and closer toward full-band status. The question remains, of course, just how close they'll continue to inch.

Either way, tickets are $10 at the door, and the show will also include "booths, children’s activities, and activities for your dog."